Tag Archives: Age of Jesus

This past year, it’s true, I turned 30. And for the 3 or 4 of you that actually read this blog, I know my secret is safe with you. Turning 30 is pretty important. It’s not because you get your driver’s license, or you can get in any movie you want, or you can rent a car (which I believe is 25, kind of a weird rule). It’s something much more spiritual, monumental, and reflective…

30 years old. Wow. Some may call it young. Some may call it old (Like my students. One of which asked me about the 70’s…he was serious, and I was serious when I told him I was born in 1982). Nevertheless, turning 30 is significant if you are a student of Scripture. You see, according to Luke 3:23, Jesus was 30 when he began his public, earthly ministry. It was the year the Messiah started his ministry career, gathered 11 young men and Peter for discipleship, and began teaching, healing, and doing miracles. The Christ was about to make His name known, all the while knowing, that in 3 years’ time, He would willingly give His life, and completely transform the world.

Now you see why it is signficant? Now, I certainly have very few things in common with the perfect Savior. But turning 30 is something we both have in common. Sure, it’s a small straw to hold on to, but it does cause one to reflect how much my life resembles the Savior’s at 30. Here are some things that come to mind:

Follow Me? Christ began to assemble 12 disciples that he mentored, challenged, and developed spiritually. These were the men (sans Judas) that would eventually establish the early church. Am I taking the time to disciple the younger generation? Do I realize these are the young men that will be the next generation of the Church?

An Ounce of Teaching. Never could I ever approach the skill, the duality of simplicity and depth, the sensitivity, and the insight of the master teacher. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t try to improve my craft of teaching and preaching. Some goals I have is to read books like Excellence in Preaching, Speaking to Teenagers, and Hearing God’s Word: Expositional Preaching. Eventually, I’d like to take some homiletic courses. In the meantime, I make it a point to glean knowledge from veteran preachers like my senior pastor, and listen to other skilled communicators at least once a week.

More Public. My risk is nowhere near the risk of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, the anointed one that the Jewish nation had been waiting on for hundreds of years. However, it’s still time my ministry becomes more public. That means being a witness more often, recognizing needs of my neighbors and community, and not shying away from gospel sharing opportunities.

Sure, I’ll never perform miracles at weddings this year, raise someone from the dead, and probably won’t be preaching from a boat anytime soon…but I can still make my earthly ministry significant, and after turning 30, there’s no better time.